


I Saw Uncle Kissing Santa Claus

by CaptainLeBubbles



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Christmas, Grief/Mourning, I Killed Taiyang And It Hurt Me, James And Jacques Are Brothers, James Is Santa, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, The North Pole Is Populated By Gossips, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Volume Eight Doesn't Exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28187367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainLeBubbles/pseuds/CaptainLeBubbles
Summary: James only went to Patch to look into a letter asking for something he couldn't grant- but when he was caught sneaking into the child's house by her uncle, all he could suddenly think about was said uncle.James has responsibilities as the avatar of the Spirit of Christmas, but now that Qrow is in his life, he's finding it harder and harder to pay attention to his duties, and far easier to pay attention to his heart.
Relationships: (past) Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiaolong, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Raven Branwen/Summer Rose
Comments: 16
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna preface this by saying, for the sake of those of you who don't follow the blog, that I have NOT watched volume eight and have spent the past year involved in a rather messy divorce from RWBY.
> 
> That being said, I'm still in love with these characters and writing them, so have a fanfic using their correct characterizations, the ones cRWBY created (not the ones they said). What do you mean bitter?
> 
> Anywho! This fic is the end result of me working retail and listening to the Retail Radio Station looping Christmas songs for eight or nine hours a day five to six days a week. It is ridiculous and silly, please do not take it seriously because I'm not. Chapters are short, so should be frequent updates, or frequent-ish given that it _is_ the week before Christmas and I _do_ work retail >.>

-/-

_ Dear Santa, _

_ I dont now if you keep track of these things but let me tell You what happed this Year in FebuerY my daddY died. It was the worse thing that ever happpened to me and after he died we moved in with my uncle, he is verY growchY but also nice when no one is looking. AnYway I wanted to tell You what I want for  ~~Crissm Cristna~~ Cristmass I want my daddY to come back. I alredY have lots of toYs so its ok if You dont bring me anY more, just mY daddY is all I want. Also a deadlY mechanical transforming combination scYthe and sniper rifle if its not too much truble to ask. _

_ Love, _

_ RubY Rose, Age Seven _

_ PS Pleas tell DaddY that we are with Uncle QRow right now so he dosnt go to the rong howse _

_ PPS My daddY’s name is TaiYang Xiaolong in case you need to now that _

-/-

James and Pietro looked the letter over together.

“What do you think?” James asked.

“She can spell deadly mechanically transforming combination scythe and sniper rifle, but she doesn’t seem to have mastered lowercase y,” Pietro said.

“Pietro.”

“Yes? You get letters like this all the time.” He rested a hand over James’. “Even  _ you _ cannot raise the dead, James.”

“I know that. But it’s not fair. She’s seven. A girl her age needs her father.”

Pietro sighed. “Are we doing this again, James?”

“Doing what?” He contrived to look innocent as he rose and retrieved his greatcoat. “I think I’ll slip down to-“ He checked the return address. “-Patch and see if there’s anything I can do for her instead.”

“Wh- but- James!” He called down the corridor as his friend left, and was ignored. “James, it is a  _ week _ until Christmas, we are  _ swamped _ with- and you’re gone.” He sighed, and slumped down in his chair, then smiled and turned to head down to his workshop with a fond shake of his head.

It might be frustrating as hell when he got like this, but he wouldn’t have the job if his heart didn’t bleed for the children of earth the way it did.

-/-

In the past near year since his sister and her family (what remained of her family) had moved in with him, Qrow had gotten pretty used to the sound of people in his house, and even gotten accustomed to them moving around at all times of night. His sister and sister-in-law had a strained relationship without Taiyang to balance them; his nieces were both young and troublesome as well as dealing with the loss of their father. Both of these things might easily leave one prone to nighttime wanderings.

So when he heard the thump downstairs, his initial assumption was that it was one of the girls,  _ probably _ Ruby if he didn’t miss his guess. Yang was more of a troublemaker than her sister, but also sneakier.

But when he passed by the bedroom he’d put the girls in, the door open to let in the nightlight in the hall, both were in their beds where they belonged.

Raven or Summer, then?

_ Or not, _ he thought, glancing at the closed door to the third bedroom, and began creeping downstairs to check.  _ Maybe _ it was one of them. Or maybe it was… someone else.

The sound had come from right below him, which meant the parlor, and as he approached he was immediately aware that something was wrong- the Christmas tree was on (he was sure he’d unplugged it before he went to bed), and flickering warm light danced along the wall. A fire? Had something caught fire?

He hurried into the parlor, praying it wasn’t a  _ bad _ fire, that he could put it out quickly without losing the presents  _ (it was the family’s first Christmas after losing Tai, it needed to be perfect, please don’t be a bad fire-) _ and then stopped short at the sight of a  _ fireplace _ in his parlor.

His parlor that did not, normally, have a fireplace- his house did  _ have _ a chimney, but the fireplace was either side of the wall between kitchen and dining room. So why in the hell was there a fireplace in his parlor, and why was there a fire crackling merrily in it, giving off the faint smell of warm cookies and peppermint? How did a fire even give  _ off _ those sorts of smells?

Also, there was a man in his parlor. His brain stopped short circuiting over the fireplace and wrenched his attention over to said man, who was tall and broad and clothed all in white, contrasting with his dark hair and beard. Qrow blinked and- aware of the absurdity of such a mundane action- reached over and flicked the lights on.

“I hope you have an explanation, buddy,” he said. “Only one man and one night I allow my house to get broken into, and you ain’t him and this ain’t then.”

The man straightened and turned around, and Qrow wished he hadn’t. It would be a lot easier to confront the intruder in his home if said intruder wasn’t distractingly handsome.

The intruder held up his hand, and blue sparkles appeared over it, forming a screen of sorts: he consulted it for a moment, and said, “Qrow Branwen?”

“Ye-es…”

“Hmm. On and off the naughty list for most of your adult life, prone to skipping town every few years without notice, no serious relationships since high school. Oh, and you quit drinking this year. Congratulations.”

“Yeah, well, with the kids around,” he began with a shrug, and then his brain caught up and he glowered, jabbed a finger in the man’s direction. “Hey, wait just a minute here! What do you think you’re playing at, going through my file like that?!” And then his brain caught up  _ again, _ and he said, “...naughty list? What, are you Santa or something?”

_ That would explain the magically appearing fireplace, dipshit. _ Hoo boy. Okay, so Qrow was a bit brainless at times.

-/-

James couldn’t say for sure why he’d come here. He’d wanted to see how the girl, Ruby, was faring: he could only get so much out of a letter, but in the house, he could get a feel for the emotional state of the people living in it.

_ This _ house was buckling under the strain of tension. There was an unbalance, and it was throwing everyone off. And, under that, the grief and sorrow that were natural in the healing process. There was also, beneath those, a sense of guilt. From who? The parents, the children? The uncle? All of them? Guilt was quite common after a death, when feelings in motion were interrupted before being allowed to run their course, and must find another outlet.

Whatever the reason, someone in this house was feeling a guilt deep enough for it to permeate the entire emotional structure of the household. James hoped it wasn’t one of the children. Guilt that strong was a heavy burden to bear.

“I’m not Santa,” James said, which was not a lie. “I work for him,” which was a little truer. “There was an error with your nieces’ change of address, and I needed to be on site to confirm it was correct now,” which was a  _ complete _ lie, but James didn’t want to tell this man that his niece had sent Santa a letter asking for her late father for Christmas. Perhaps it might be necessary to reveal this at some point, but letters to Santa were meant to be confidential.

“You work for Santa?” Qrow’s eyebrow went up, and he raked his eyes pointedly along the entire length and breadth of James. He actually wasn’t much shorter than James, though he was more wiry than James’ bulk, and very handsome, in a rakish sort of way: James could easily see him in poofy sleeves and an extravagant hat, demanding  _ your money or your life _ at sword point. “Santa’s little helper, huh?”

“I’m not an elf, if that’s what you mean.”

“Clearly not, no pointy ears, no bells, no curly toes. You got a name, pretty boy? You know mine, it’s only fair.”

There was a subtle shift in the emotional structure of the home. James suddenly realized what kind of conversation they were having; he swallowed, and hoped Qrow wouldn’t notice (of course he would).

“It’s James. James Ironwood.”

“James Ironwood,” Qrow repeated, stepping closer. His eyes roamed James’ figure again, more leisurely this time. He brought a hand up, hesitantly, half an eye on James for permission, and when James didn’t stop him, smoothed his hand over the fur lining James’ hefty overcoat. “This is nice. Real soft. Cosy.”

The coat was thick, soft, and warm: it was meant to keep James from freezing up in the streams. But here, now, in front of the magical fireplace and with Qrow standing so close, he was suddenly very warm. He reached up and caught Qrow’s hand in his, and he liked the way that felt. How long had it been since he’d held another man’s hand in his own?

“You know,” Qrow drawled, “It’s really too bad we didn’t put up mistletoe this year.”

James grinned.

-/-


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after their encounter, James and Qrow find themselves the topic of gossip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usually when I make James and Jacques brothers, I make Jacques younger, but I made him older for this just to see how that affected the dynamic.

-/-

“I saw Uncle Qrow kissing Santa Claus,” Yang told Raven the next morning.

Raven, two thirds asleep and not even wearing a shirt yet, squinted blearily down at her daughter.

“I don’t think that’s how that song goes.”

Yang trailed Raven through the kitchen to the laundry room to retrieve a shirt- she grabbed the first one her hands landed on, which happened to belong to Qrow, and by the time she’d pulled it on and then combed her fingers through her hair enough to make her bedhead a little less prominent, she was awake enough to address the actual topic.

She stepped back into the kitchen, where Qrow was making breakfast while Ruby helped-slash-got in the way.

“Yang says she saw you kissing Santa Claus.”

“Tattletale,” Qrow told Yang, and to his sister, “He wasn’t Santa.”

“What did he look like?” Ruby asked, forgetting her attempts to help, much to her uncle's relief.

“He was  _ real _ tall, and he had dark hair and a dark beard, and he wore a fluffy white coat that came all the way down to the floor. And he grabbed Uncle Qrow’s butt while they were smooching, so I don’t think it was just a nice faternal kiss like how what Uncle Qrow gives us.”

“Doesn’t sound like any Santa I’ve ever heard of,” Raven said. “Except maybe on the cover of a romance novel.”

Yang shook her head. “Ren says our notion of how what Santa looks like is a modern… a-ffec-ta-tion, so I reckon if he don’t look like how what he’s s’posed to, we’re the ones who’re wrong.”

“That makes sense,” Ruby said, nodding sagely.

“I told you, he wasn’t Santa,” Qrow said. “He just works for him.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “Santa’s little helper?”

“Something like that. I guess he was a secretary or something? He said there was an error with the girls’ change of address so he had to make sure it was fixed.”

“And you believed him?”

“I don’t know how stuff works at the North Pole, and he snuck in via a magically appearing chimney, so on balance I think at least part of his story was true enough.”

“And you figured the rest was unimportant in the face of making out with him? What a slut.”

“Hey, in my defense, he was handsome and there was mistletoe.”

“We have mistletoe?”

“We do now, pretty-boy magicked some up for me.”

“So a strange man breaks into your house and your instinct is to make out with him?”

“If he’s handsome enough.”

Ruby tugged on Raven’s shirttail. “Mama, what’s a slut?”

“It means so desperate to smooch in a non-fraternal way that you forget all common sense,” Raven said, patting Ruby’s head and giving her twin a pointed look. “Gonna see him again?”

“Probably not, I didn’t get his number when he left.” He shrugged. “Some men are the sort you make out with when they break into your house, some are the sort you go out for cocoa with. I’m thinking tall, bearded, and pretty is probably the former. Besides, it’s Christmas. Things are probably too busy at the North Pole to worry about dating.”

-/-

“I can’t believe you get caught breaking into a man’s house and your response is to make out with him,” Jacques said. He was sitting in James’ chair at James’ desk, because he knew James hated that.

“In my defense, he was pretty,” James said, deciding not to rise to his brother’s taunts. “Also there was mistletoe. How do you know about that?”

“I’m the Herald of Winter, James.”

“And I was inside, with a fire roaring behind me, and it was boiling. Try again.”

“You really should be careful what you tell Polendina in the cantina,” he said, after considering this for a moment. “You were overheard by quite a few people. How pretty?”

“Knitting pattern.”

“Going to see him again?”

James eyed him suspiciously. “Why do you care?”

“I can’t worry about my little brother’s welfare? You wound me, James.”

“You can. You don’t usually.”

Jacques shrugged idly. “It probably wouldn’t be very becoming for the image of the North Pole if it got out that Santa Claus goes around making out with strange men after breaking into their homes a week early. You might find something besides milk and cookies and children hoping for a glimpse of your reindeer waiting for you on the Ride.” He quirked an eyebrow.  _ “Are _ you going to see him again?”

James shook his head with a smile denoting  _ fond amusement. _ He turned and ambled toward his office door. If Jacques wasn’t going to vacate his desk, he would see to business elsewhere. True, he could easily evict Jacques from his chair by force, but that would be playing into his brother’s game, and he had long matured past such things.

“It’s a week till Christmas, Jacques,” he said. “Things are too busy here to worry about things like dating.”

-/-

He wound up in Pietro’s workshop, getting himself quite underfoot- so to speak.

“What are you working on?” he asked, peering over Pietro’s shoulder at the metal he was soldering- looked like a hand, unless he missed his guess.

Pietro looked up and pushed his goggles up. “Do you have a reason to be in my workshop making a nuisance of yourself?” he asked, in a tone that completely failed to sound annoyed.

“Jacques was squatting in my office.”

“Hm.” 

He pushed his goggles back down and returned to work- definitely a hand, there was a pile of fingers at Pietro’s elbow. James picked one up to test the articulation curiously.

“A doll?” he guessed. “Quite a large one, too.”

“A marionette,” Pietro clarified. “I’ll probably need magic to articulate her, though.”

James nodded, slipping his glove off to compare the articulation of the finger to the articulation of his own metal fingers.

“What are you really doing in here, James?”

“I can’t pay you a visit while you work?”

“You can, but I can tell when something’s on your mind.” He pushed his goggles up again and turned his chair to face his friend properly. “You’re thinking about the man from last night, aren’t you?”

“Of course not,” James lied. He had not stopped thinking about Qrow since they parted, but that didn’t matter- there were some men one made out with after they caught one breaking into their house, and some men one took out for cocoa. James got the impression Qrow was the former. Thinking about him would be pointless.

On the other hand…

“I keep thinking about that little girl. Miss Rose- you didn’t feel the emotional atmosphere of that house, Pietro, it was suffocating. I was just thinking whether something could be done.”

Pietro frowned. “James, it is a  _ week _ until Christmas. You cannot ignore your duty to the children of this world for the sake of one child. You have a responsibility.”

“I am aware of this, Pietro.”

“Good. Now go do what you have to do.”

There was a beat, and then James grinned and hurried away. Not that he needed permission, of course, but it was one thing to shirk his responsibility for the sake of one child because he felt like it, and quite another to have his most trusted advisor suggest it to him.

Once he was gone, Pietro put his goggles back on and went back to soldering the marionette’s hand together.

“Between you and me,” he told her, “I only told him that to get him out of my workshop.”

-/-


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James takes his daughter down to Patch to run recon on the Ruby situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit on the idea of Ciel as James' (and Qrow's) daughter daughter for the DTLS au crossover, but I ended up loving it so much I'll probably play with it again in future works. Since Pietro was finally introduced I've been trying to move away from having Penny as James' go-to daughter; while it's fun to play with, I'm not here to erase her actual father or her relationship with him. Ciel, by contrast, has twelve seconds of screentime, barely any characterization, and crwby seem to have forgotten about her existence, so she's prime material for me to rub my fingers all over and do what I want.
> 
> (I actually have another Christmas movie au concept that I'm not going to write where James and Pietro are married and Penny is their daughter. It ends with James and Qrow panicking at, respectively, Pietro and Raven about their growing attraction to each other. Raven calls Qrow an idiot, and Pietro calls James an idiot but politely. It's actually really fun, and if I hadn't already committed to this as my Christmas fic when I thought of it I might have written it. Maybe next year. We'll see.)

-/-

Despite his decision to go see if there was anything he could do for Miss Rose, James didn’t leave immediately. It was one thing to  _ say _ he’d like to go help her, it was quite another for a strange man to just show up at someone’s house a week before Christmas claiming to be Santa Claus, could he please talk to their seven year old daughter about her feelings?

No, this was the sort of situation that required finesse and a careful approach.

On the other hand… if he so happened to run into the girl while she was out and about with her uncle, and he so happened to have his own little girl with him, and the girls so happened to hit it off, and he so happened to have a history, albeit a tiny one, with her uncle, surely he would find some opening to find out how he could help her?

Well. It was worth a shot, anyway. He changed routes to head up to the apartments he shared with his daughter, his little shooting star.

And besides, he had so little time to spare for attending Ciel during the Christmas season. It would be a good chance to check in with her, spend a little time with her.

-/-

Since Raven and Summer didn’t get time off for Christmas break the way Qrow did, the bulk of the day to day care for the girls while they were out of school fell to him. He didn’t mind, of course, and he loved having a chance to hang out with them, but knowing that the things he did to keep them entertained over their holiday break were the same things their father had done hurt.

He had, through sheer necessity, taken on some of the roles that Taiyang should have filled: this fact was leaving him an emotional wreck, but of course he had to stay strong for them-

-days like this he wondered why he’d quit drinking.

Then Ruby tugged on his hand and dragged him over to see the pretty light display in the center of the mall, and, oh, yeah, that was why.

“Hey look, it’s Santa,” Yang said, pointing down into the mall.

“Didn’t think they had the Santa’s village open today-“ Qrow said, looking down at the display in question and then frowning when he saw that it was closed.

“Not the fakey mall Santa,” Yang said, pointing more insistently. “The one from last night.”

“He wasn’t Santa,” Qrow corrected her (again) and looked in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, there was James, holding the hand of a little girl in a blue pinafore outside the display window for a children’s apparel store. “Huh.”

“I wanna meet Santa,” Ruby said, taking Qrow’s hand again and pulling him. “Can we go say hi?”

“I dunno,” Qrow said, because making out with a guy after he breaks into your house doesn’t mean you go getting chummy when you see each other out and about- on the other hand-

-well, on the other hand, after all, what was the guy even doing down here in Patch less than a week from Christmas?  _ Maybe _ it wasn’t related to Qrow, but also, maybe it  _ was. _ No harm in seeing how this played out.

-/-

“Daddy, why are we here?”

James looked down at Ciel. She was an extremely bright girl, but not particularly observant: he could tell her anything, and she’d believe him. Hm.

“A little girl who lives in this town wrote to me asking for something I can’t give her,” he said, settling for somewhere in the middle of truth and honesty. “I’m trying to do a little recon to see if there’s something I can do for her instead.”

Ciel nodded, accepting this. “I see. I thought maybe you were trying to see that man you kissed last night.”

More observant than he thought. He gave her a sharp look. “How do you know about that?”

“Clover and Harriet were talking about it this morning.”

“The North Pole is populated by gossips,” he sighed, and then raised an eyebrow at the sight of a little girl in a red hoodie hurrying up to him, dragging-

-ah. Dragging Qrow behind her. Their eyes met, and James felt his neck flush. Qrow had looked delightfully kissable last night in his oversized pajama pants and an undersized tank top that, James assumed, belonged to one of his sisters. He looked equally kissable now, bundled up in a black coat that, what with the tails, gave the impression of an actual crow turned human.

James turned his attention to the little girl, summoning up his scroll as he did. The children were always delighted when he did that, and this one was no exception, her face lighting up at the obvious display of magic.

“Ruby Rose, I assume?” James asked, raising one eyebrow and addressing her very formally. For some reason, children liked that, too.

“You  _ are _ Santa!” she said delightedly. “Uncle Qrow said you’re not, but Yang said you are, and Yang wouldn’t lie ‘bout somethin’ like that.”

“I resent the implication that  _ I _ would lie,” Qrow said, folding his arms and glaring down at her. There was something playful in his glare, which was probably why Ruby was completely unfazed by it.

“What are you doing down here?” The other girl asked- James swapped the files to check. Yang Xiaolong- Ruby’s sister. Prone to digging into things until she got an answer, prone to temper tantrums if it wasn’t the answer she liked.

“Are you here to smooch our uncle again?” Ruby asked.

James’ flush moved up to his ears. Ah. “I’m just here to bring my daughter Christmas shopping,” he said, resting a reassuring hand on Ciel’s shoulder- she’d moved a little behind him nervously at the others’ appearance.

“Santa has a  _ daughter?” _ Ruby squeaked. She stuck her hand out. “Hi! I’m Ruby Rose! I’m seven years old and I like dogs and reading and deadly weaponry and flowers! What’s your name?”

Ciel shrank a little from Ruby’s exuberance, but at a glance to James for reassurance, said, “I’m Ciel. I’m eight years old and I like puppetry and painting.”

“Puppets are cool,” Ruby chirped.

“Can’t you do your shopping at the North Pole?” Qrow asked James, letting the girls get to know one another while he turned his attention to a more adult examination of the question.

James hesitated, still not sure how to explain his presence, and-

“I wanted to see you again,” he blurted out hastily. “Plus everyone at the Pole is a huge gossip, it’s hard to surprise anyone with their gifts if I arrange them there.”

His blush had crawled into his cheeks now, but Qrow was grinning that toothy grin at him again.

“S’that so? Hn, wouldn’t have figured you for the type.”

“Admittedly it’s the worst time of year for it but… I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Which was true. James had spent every moment since Qrow’s touch jolted through him thinking about it. Just because it wasn’t honest, didn’t make it not the truth.

Qrow was smirking now, eyes tracing over the growing flush on James’ face.

“Hm, well, I got the kids right now, but…” He jerked his head toward the food court. “No reason we can’t take a break from shopping to enjoy a cup of cocoa together.”

“I’d like that,” James murmured, and then became aware that there was silence in the vicinity of his knees. He looked down to see all three girls staring up at them. “Ah.”

“Are we gonna have hot cocoa with Santa?” Yang asked, at the same time Ruby giggled and said, “Santa has the hots for our uncle!”

“Hey, mind your own business,” Qrow scolded them, herding them toward the food court in a way that absolutely failed to be authoritative. Over his shoulder, he added, “Well, come on, pretty boy. My treat.”

Ciel turned to James and tugged on his sleeve. “Daddy? So  _ are _ we here to see that man?”

“We’re not…  _ not _ here to see him,” James admitted, reaching down and lifting her up onto his shoulders. “But that’s only a perk. We’re mainly here so I can figure out what to do about the Ruby situation.”

“Okay. It’s just he seems nice, so if you wanted to see him, I think that’d be okay.”

“I know, Angel,” he said. “I promise I’m not just making excuses.”

-/-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hand's up who's picked up on my twist


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Qrow get cocoa together, and some exposition is had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this ready to post last night, but was too tired and it was late, so I was all "I'll get it in the morning when people are online anyway", and then forgot, so I'm still posting it at midnight anyway. Oh well, there's only one person reading this fic anyway.

-/-

There was Christmas music playing over the speaker at the food court- Ruby chirped along to it, cheerfully missing half the lyrics and not caring. Yang listened with her head cocked in thought, and said, “I don’ think that song’s accurate. It’s talkin’ ‘bout a Missus Claus, but if Santa is here macking on our uncle, don’t that meant there ain’t a Missus Claus?”

“There  _ could _ be a Missus Claus,” Ruby said, scrunching her face up to consider the question. “Maybe they’re in a open relationship.” To Ciel, she said, “Is there a Missus Claus?”

“Your daddy  _ is _ Santa, right?” Yang added.

Ciel blinked. “No, there’s not, and yes, he is.”

Somewhere above them, James and Qrow had been waiting in line. Qrow had, to all appearances, been paying attention to James, but he always kept half an ear on the kids and at the girls’ words he cut James off with a broad, knowing grin.

“Santa’s little helper?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. James’ blush returned full force.

“I… may have fibbed a little bit last night when you asked…”

“Uh huh. Why?”

“Well…” He trailed off, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was embarrassed about getting caught. And you seemed like you’d make fun of me.”

“Oh I’m absolutely gonna make fun of you,” Qrow said. “Would you have still kissed me if I‘d made fun of you?”

“Definitely,” James said, with surprising conviction. “I wanted to kiss you. I didn’t want you to make fun of me. Those two are unrelated.”

“Hm.” Qrow pretended to consider this for a moment. “You know, I wonder if that counts as deception? Luring me under false pretenses.”

“Would you have still kissed me, if you knew?”

He looked worried. Qrow reached up and caught his tie, twirling it around his fingers idly, a subtle echo of his hands pressed between them last night. He smirked. “To be honest, pretty boy, I’d have probably kissed you harder.”

-/-

They found an out of the way corner to drink their cocoa while the girls took their seats at the next table over, engaged in a very serious conversation about the sociopolitical structure of the North Pole. Ciel was explaining the function of the Council, and Ruby and Yang were hanging on her every word.

Qrow, James had quickly learned, was also listening, for all that he was to all appearances being completely attentive to James. James remarked on this.

“I teach middle school,” Qrow said. “You kinda get used to paying attention to several conversations at once in that job. So let me see if I understand this,” he said, playing with the rim of the cup. “You both  _ are _ and  _ are not _ Santa?”

James nodded. Ciel had…  _ sort of _ explained this, but the last pass had been before her time, and she didn’t fully understand it herself.

“What you think of as Santa, a magical man who delivers gifts, is really just an avatar of the Spirit of Christmas. The Spirit of Christmas is the  _ true _ Santa, and I’m the current avatar, keeping his legacy alive in the world.”

“So when you say you  _ work _ for Santa…”

“I mean I serve the true Santa, the Spirit of Christmas, as his avatar. But for all intents and purposes, I  _ am _ Santa. I’m sorry I lied to you.”

Qrow shrugged. “No harm done. And the girl? She is  _ yours, _ right? Or was that a lie to see me?”

“She’s mine,” James said, amusement tugging his lips into a smile, wrinkling the corners of his eyes. “She’s adopted.”

“Is that even legal? You’re  _ Santa.” _

“It’s not  _ not _ legal.”

“Hmm.” Qrow fell silent, sipping his cocoa while he watched James thoughtfully. After a few minutes of this quiet scrutiny, he asked, “You’re not the same Santa from when I was a kid, are you?”

James shook his head. “I’m his successor. I took the Mantle about ten years ago.”

“That’s reassuring. I’d hate to mack on a guy who’d read my letters to Santa when I was a little boy.”

“No, of course not.” He took a sip of his cocoa, mirth dancing in his eyes, and waited for Qrow to take a sip of his own to add, “Only the ones you wrote in the past decade.”

Qrow sputtered and choked, grabbing a napkin to clean himself up while glowering at James. “Asshole.”

“Are you busy tomorrow?”

Qrow considered this while he finished wiping up the cocoa he’d sputtered, and shook his head. “I promised the girls I’d take them ice skating. Sorry, pretty boy.”

“I see.” Things were pretty busy at the North Pole anyway, James really shouldn’t give up another day on this little project of his. The girls seemed well enough to enjoy their Christmas, and he could always visit some more after Christmas, when he had time.

On the other hand…

“Did you say  _ where _ you were taking them to ice skate?”

Qrow grinned.

-/-

“We’re going ice skating with Santa!” Ruby told Summer when she got home that night.

Summer, dead on her feet and still wearing her work shirt, just stared down at her daughter.

“I think you may have misunderstood the point of a Christmas village.”

Ruby trailed after Summer while she disappeared into the bathroom to shed the outermost layers of her work uniform, until she was down to just her undershirt and undershorts. She shed her socks- which she’d stolen from Raven, and they’d ridden down her ankles all day- and dumped them into the laundry, and by then she was more coherent and able to pay attention.

She stepped into the living room, where Qrow was playing on his phone while Yang peeked over his shoulder and distracted him by pointing out matches.

“Why does my daughter say she’s going ice skating with Santa?”

“Blabbermouth,” Qrow said, sticking his tongue out at Ruby before adding to Summer, “Because we are.”

“The man who broke into our house last night was actually really Santa and he’s got the hots for Uncle Qrow so he’s gonna take us all ice skating so he can touch Uncle Qrow’s butt again,” Yang clarified.

Summer blinked, and turned back to her brother-in-law. “Qrow…”

“She’s only mostly correct,” Qrow said. “We are going ice skating with Santa, but I promise there won’t be any butt touching if there’s a chance your daughters will see us.”

“Weirdly, that’s not the part that worries me.” She sat down next to him on the couch, stretching out her feet and setting them in his lap- he put his phone aside and automatically got to work rubbing them; after a few seconds of this, Summer let her head fall back with a sigh of relief. “Holiday season is the pits, brother.”

“Hey, you coulda become a teacher like me and-” He broke off there, as Summer’s head came up again. There was a plea in her eyes; he couldn’t even tell if she was begging him to finish the sentence, or end it. He chose finish it, and said quietly, “..like me and Tai.”

Whether this was the right choice or not he couldn't say; she let her head fall back and her eyes close. “I  _ like _ running the shop, Qrow. Just because it’s exhausting doesn’t change that.”

“‘F’you say so.” He kept rubbing her feet, managing to get her back into that relaxed state, and once she had, asked, “You sure you’re okay with me inviting James on my outing with the girls tomorrow? He’s a stranger to you, say the word and I’ll cancel on him.”

“No, it’s fine. He’s a stranger to me, but not to you, and I trust your judgment.”

_ You shouldn’t, _ he thought, and said, “Thanks. That means a lot.”

-/-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to avoid confusion, I'd like to point out that the Mantle being referred to in this fic is the Mantle of Santa, not to be confused with Mantle the city, though the constant use of it in this fic has really driven home the symbolism of Atlas and Mantle being so synonymous with James. In the hands of competent writers, a lot could have been done with that symbolism. But don't know anything about that...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James shows off a little of his magic, and Qrow realizes what he's got himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some time off writing after the holiday and posting a chapter always helps me get my writing groove back, so here we goooo~

-/-

Clover dropped into the seat across from James in the cantina the next morning.

“Gossip in the workshop says you’ve got a date today,” he said without preamble.

James gave him a rather unimpressed look. Clover was precious to him, and instrumental in keeping everything at the Pole running smoothly. Knowing he was there was a reassurance.

He was also far too earnest for James to be dealing with this early in the morning.

“Does everyone in this city know my business?”

“I don’t know about the whole city. I know everyone in the compound does. Probably everyone at the academy, too. I would imagine it’s probably spread up to the Council… hm…”

“Clover.”

“Sorry, boss,” he said. “You’re Santa. And you haven’t dated since you took on the Mantle. We’re all interested.”

James pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not...  _ dating. _ I’m trying to help a little girl. That her uncle happens to be handsome and alluring and…  _ charming _ and funny and…”

He trailed off.  _ And distracting, _ he thought. Qrow was a distraction, one he couldn’t seem to shake. 

“Anyway, how much am I really needed in the actual pre-Christmas process? The toys are all made and ready and being sorted, if something comes up that needs my immediate attention I’m only a scroll away, and if I can help this girl…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Clover said, earnestly. When James raised an eyebrow at him, he persisted in a firm tone, “No,  _ really. _ You’re  _ Santa. _ You wouldn’t have the Mantle if you hadn’t earned it. We trust you, and your judgment.”

“Doesn’t that mean I have a responsibility to ensure I’m  _ worthy _ of that trust?”

“Are you not?”

“I can’t shirk my responsibilities for the sake of one child. And what of the other children? I get letters like that all the time. Is it fair to them?”

“You do, and this isn’t the first time you’ve tried to do something about them, either. You can’t help them all, but some of them you can, and do.”

“You don’t think I’m just being a bleeding heart?” He raised an eyebrow. Clover chuckled.

“Listening to your brother again?” He shook his head. “You  _ are _ a bleeding heart, but that’s not a  _ bad _ thing. You wouldn’t have the Mantle if you weren’t. If you think there’s something you can do to help this girl, then you should trust that instinct, just as we trust you.”

He fell silent, his encouraging speech done. James raised an eyebrow, amused this time, and shook his head in a fond sort of way.

“It’s too early in the day to deal with this.”

“Trust in your capacity for love,” Clover said, back in that firm tone, and, “You know I’m right.”

“Maybe.”

“I’m not a little boy anymore. You’re allowed to listen to me.”

“Hmph.”

-/-

For all his words, though, James had managed to cheer up somewhat. Something in him was pulling him to help Ruby and her family. Clover was right, to a degree, anyway: he  _ did _ have the Mantle for a reason, which meant he should  _ listen _ to that instinct.

It was therefore with a much clearer conscience that he brought Ciel down to Patch so he could take Qrow and his nieces ice skating in Argus, a picturesque little city with a beautiful lake in the center.

Qrow and the girls were already bundled up and waiting when James got there, settling in from the streams to find the three in the yard, and once more James was hit by how distractingly kissable Qrow looked: the coat he’d been wearing at the mall had been covered by a black cloak with an iridescent pattern that only served to make him look even more like a bird than before.

The hefty red scarf, both tails hanging down his back, was giving James some more inappropriate thoughts. He cleared his throat and hastily pushed those away. Now was not the time for such ideas.

“You’re here!” the girls cheered, dragging Qrow out to meet them as James and Ciel appeared in the yard. They let Qrow go and bundled to Ciel in greeting, while James turned his attention to Qrow with a smile.

“Hi,” Qrow said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Soooo… how are we getting this wonderful ice skating spot you know so much about?”

“We thought you’d take the sleigh,” Yang said. “We wanted to see Rudolph.”

“Rudolph belonged to one of my predecessors,” James said. “He went to his reward long ago- I have  _ different _ reindeer.” At a raised eyebrow from Qrow, he added, “But the sleigh is being prepared for the Ride right now, and isn’t really for everyday use. For everyday use we just use the streams.”

“Streams?”

“Magical currents. Magical folk can learn to tap into them so we can travel beyond the limits of human capability.”

It took a few minutes of shuffling to find the best arrangement for everyone so that they wouldn’t be lost in the streams, but in the end James held Yang’s little hand in one of his and Ruby's in the other, with Qrow on Ruby's other side and Ciel beyond him- Ciel knew how to travel the streams, and would help James balance out Ruby and Qrow.

“Hold on tight,” he said, giving Yang’s and then Ruby's hand a firm squeeze. “It’s a little jarring your first time in the streams, and I don’t want to drop you.” They nodded hastily, and he said, “All right, ready, and-”

He took a step, and- they were in the streams. He heard a couple of gasps and tightened his hold on both of them, looking around for reactions.

The first time seeing the streams was always a moment to remember- the way the lights shifted and bunched and waved beneath their feet, the vast dome of uninterrupted stars above them- Ruby and Yang stared in wonder, eyes alight as they tried to look everywhere at once, and Qrow-

-James’s heart thudded. Qrow’s reaction was more understated, but there was more awe in his eyes than he perhaps wished. He looked like a man who had found religion, or at least now understood why so many gods came from the night sky.

James gave their hands another squeeze, and stepped forward once more.

-and they were in Argus.

“Whoah!” Yang let go of his hand and ran around in circles, waving her arms around. “That was SO cool! That was the coolest thing ever! I’ve never done anything that cool! Can we go again?”

“Can I learn to do that?!” Ruby asked, joining her sister in her running and yelling. She jumped up and down a few times. “I never want to travel another way again!!”

“I need to sit down,” Qrow said, looking around and beelining for a bench a few feet away. James had set them down in the park that contained the lake; from his bench, he could see the lake, and the food stand selling hot cocoa and hot popcorn and other warm, cosy foods for the people now out skating on the lake.

James glanced at the girls, who were now bombarding Ciel with questions about the streams, and hurried to his side.

“Are you okay?”

Qrow looked up at him, something in his gaze that James wasn’t quite able to define.

“You really are the real deal, aren’t you?”

“Did you not believe me?”

“I think it didn’t really register for me what that meant.” He stared down at his hands. “What are you even doing here? You should be at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas, not wasting your time on my sorry hide.”

“Hm.” James knelt before him, lay one hand over Qrow’s and reaching the other up to rest on Qrow’s face; Qrow leaned into the touch with a small, weak smile. “I can’t tell you yet. But something about you is drawing me in, and I know it’s something I have no interest in fighting. I want to see what comes of it.”

For one moment, Qrow seemed to brighten, and then his expression saddened again, his gaze falling to his lap.

“I’m not going to stop you. I just hope you aren’t disappointed when you get to know me better. I’m not worth the way you look at me.”

_ The way he…? _ James shook his head. “I think you’re wrong. But we’ll see what happens.”

There was another of those weak smiles; James was struck by how much he would like to kiss Qrow again, and was debating doing just that when a small shape collided with him, and he was suddenly wearing a small child as a backpack. Not one of the three he’d brought with him, a quick glance over told him, which meant-

“Pyrrha.”

“Hi, Mister James!” said a breathless little voice from somewhere over his shoulder. “Did you come to skate with me ‘n my friends again?”

“I did indeed, and I brought some new friends for you, too.”

He moved Pyrrha around to his front and set her down with the girls to make introductions, exchanging a look with Qrow, whose expression had shifted into something unreadable again. He offered him a small, reassuring smile, but the moment was gone, so he turned his attention to the children instead.

There would be further moments, he was sure.

-/-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone order a tiny Pyrrha for their troubles? Have one on the house, then.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow considers the implications of courting James in the aftermath of their ice skating adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Qrow, whose ass is so flat it's practically concave: The most important thing in a man is the shape of his ass.

-/-

To his credit, Qrow waited until he’d gotten the girls out of their skating clothes and into nice hot showers, bundling them into their cosy pajamas and fleece blankies while they were still slightly pink at the edges and snuggled into their room to play before going into his sister’s bedroom and collapsing facedown on the bed.

Raven was at her desk doing paperwork, but Summer was lying on the bed already, and bounced a little when Qrow landed.

“I am  _ fucked,” _ Qrow said.

“Given you keep taking our daughters on your dates with you, you better not be,” Raven said, not looking up from her paperwork.

“Oh ha fucking ha.” He heaved an enormous, long-suffering sigh, waiting for one of them to ask.

“Why are you fucked, Qrow?” Summer asked, as if she were reading from a script.

The bait successfully taken, Qrow pushed himself up to sitting.

“What do I always say are the most important factors to look for in a man?”

“The shape of his ass,” Raven said automatically.

“And a good beard,” Summer added.

“Shoulders broad enough it’d take all night to map them with your tongue.”

“A nice smile and pretty eyes.”

“Good with kids,” they both chorused. Qrow sighed and flopped over again.

“I’m fucked. And not in the fun way,” he added, before either could remark.

“Oh, poor baby, you wanted a bit of sexy fun with your slutty home intruder and now you’re catching feelings,” Summer said, scooching over to curl up alongside him. “Want to tell us what happened?”

Qrow was silent for awhile, pouting over the way they weren’t taking him seriously, and finally beginning, “So we went ice skating,” and they hummed in acknowledgement. “We went to Argus- pretty little northern city with a good skating lake in the park. Turns out he hangs out there a lot during the off season. Do you know how I know he hangs out there a lot during the off season?”

“He told you?” Raven guessed.

“Well, yes. When I asked why it seemed like every kid in the city was a personal friend of his.”

“He  _ is _ Santa,” Summer pointed out. “It’d be weird if he wasn’t good with kids or friends with them.”

“I know that! But he wasn’t  _ being _ good with kids in a Santa way. He was just entertaining them, playing with them, like a normal guy. They adored him. I don’t know that they even knew he was Santa, they just liked hanging out with him. You should have seen it. This one little girl kept climbing onto his back, and another one made him watch every new trick she’d learned. And he  _ didn’t even mind. _ He paid attention every time.”

“How do Ruby and Yang like him?”

“Oh, they’re  _ smitten.” _

“Sounds like they’re not the only ones.”

“When’s your next date?” Raven asked.

“I invited him and Ciel to come to the Solstice Lighting tomorrow at the square.” He sat up, and shrugged. “It’s kind of cheesy, but I want to see him again, and I don’t want to blow off the Lights to do so.”

The pair exchanged a look at this, and Qrow knew why: it had been at the Solstice Lights that Raven had proposed all those years ago. They would not be going, though the girls loved the Lights, and would not miss them.

It had therefore fallen to Qrow to be the middle ground, and take them. It made sense. The Lights didn’t hurt him the way they hurt Raven and Summer.

(They’d loved the Lights when they were younger, back when it was the four of them, instead of the three of them and Qrow. They’d gone every year as a group. That was  _ why _ Raven had chosen the Lights to propose.

But they’d lost their husband, and Qrow had lost his best friend, and Raven was his sister, and Summer was too, and he loved them, and he loved those girls, and if what they needed was for him to take the girls to the Lights, then he would. It was the least he owed Tai. It was the least he owed all of them.)

-/-

“Uncle Qrow, are you gonna marry Mister James?” Ruby asked while helping with the breakfast dishes the next morning. As with most things she tried to help with, she was more of a hindrance than a help, but as Qrow told Raven and Summer almost daily, she was never going to learn to do things right if she wasn’t allowed to make a bit of a nuisance of herself by doing them wrong.

“We’ve been on one date,” he said. “Can we try actually going steady before you start planning our wedding?”

“Are you gonna go steady, then?”

“I dunno. We’ve only been on one date. Two if you count him crashing our Christmas shopping.”

“Do you  _ wanna _ go steady?”

“What’s with the third degree, huh?” He gave her a stern look that she came nowhere near being fooled by.

“Mama says you never dated no one since high school,” she shrugged. “I just wanted to know.”

“I’ve dated. I just haven’t gone steady. Not enough people meet my high standards.”

“You mean like having a good butt?”

He squinted at her. “What do you know about that?”

“I heard you tell Mama that a good butt was the most important thing, only you said a adult word insteada butt. I’m not gonna repeat it cause I’m a good girl.”

“We gotta put a bell on you or something,” he said, shaking his head. “You know eavesdropping cancels out not saying the adult word?”

“Does that mean I can say the adult word?”

Qrow burst out laughing at her logic, and ruffled her hair fondly (his hands were soapy; she swatted at him with a disgruntled noise).

“Tell you what, you can say it, but  _ once, _ and we don’t tell your ma’s about it, deal?”

Her eyes glittered with delight. “Deal!” she chirped, and then there was a moment of anticipation before she clenched her little fists in front of her and said, softly but with feeling,  _ “Ass.” _

Qrow chuckled, and went back to the dishes with a thoughtful frown. While it wasn’t true that he didn’t date, or even have relationships, it was fair to say that he didn’t date  _ seriously. _ Most of his relationships were very sexually charged, a regular lay with some fun, non-sexual sidebars, destined to fizzle out within a few months. Before he quit drinking, he had a lot of one-night stands with equally drunk people, though he’d rather lost his taste for those once alcohol was no longer a factor.

It wasn’t that those things weren’t fun, and they suited his needs, but since his sister and her family moved in with him, he’d found them less fulfilling. His world was quickly revolving more and more around his nieces, and his jokes about a man needing to be good with kids, once an attempt to poke fun at his own low standards when he dated men, was rapidly becoming not only not a joke, but the most important factor in choosing a partner. His girls were his life; any man (or other) who couldn’t share that with him was not worth his time and attention, no matter how much cake he was carrying in his jeans.

He wasn’t entirely sure where this thing with James was going. Maybe it would fizzle out like all of his other relationships, but the idea of that kind of made him sad. James was a man who doted on every child around him as if they were his own, and Qrow wanted to chase this thing with him to whatever culmination it led to.

His priorities were shifting, he realized, and wasn’t that an odd thought? He, Qrow Emile Louise Branwen, craving a serious relationship? It was a Christmas miracle.

-/-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though to be fair, James has enough for the both of them. /thirst

**Author's Note:**

> Like this? Want to see more? Agree with me about how badly crwby handled their characters' and their arcs and want to see eight hundred posts a week ping ponging rapidly between bitterness and spite? Hit me up on Tumblr @grifalinas!
> 
> Want to see writing that handles the characters better than cRWBY could hope to, using their actual shown characterization? Like DuckTales? I also have a roleplay blog @hardheadedbighearted where @babyboydbaby (@directium) and I are writing a crossover/mashup! Spite aside, we're having a lot of fun, and if that sounds like your jam, check us out!


End file.
